


I Cannot Seem to Find my Way Home Tonight

by sxster_snapped



Series: Dream SMP One-Shots [3]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Based On A Panic! At The Disco Song, Canon Compliant, Dream Team SMP Spoilers, Hopeful Ending, Light Angst, Manberg Festival on Dream Team SMP (Video Blogging RPF), Manberg-Pogtopia War on Dream Team SMP (Video Blogging RPF), Mild Hurt/Comfort, Platonic Relationships, Post-Manberg-Pogtopia War on Dream Team SMP (Video Blogging RPF), Pre-Manberg-Pogtopia War on Dream Team SMP (Video Blogging RPF), Retelling, Song Lyrics, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-24
Updated: 2020-11-24
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:35:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27702848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sxster_snapped/pseuds/sxster_snapped
Summary: A retelling of the events since the L’manberg election (mostly canon compliant, but some slight differences for ~drama~)Inspired by the song "C'mon" by Panic! at the Disco
Relationships: Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Dave | Technoblade & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Dave | Technoblade & TommyInnit, Dave | Technoblade & Wilbur Soot, Dave | Technoblade & Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit & Phil Watson, Niki | Nihachu & Wilbur Soot, Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit, Toby Smith | Tubbo & Wilbur Soot, TommyInnit & Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Wilbur Soot & Phil Watson
Series: Dream SMP One-Shots [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2103711
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	I Cannot Seem to Find my Way Home Tonight

_ “It’s getting late and I cannot seem to find my way home tonight. Feels like I am falling down a rabbit hole, falling for forever. Wonderfully wandering alone.” _

The base under L’Manberg seemed to keep getting darker, no matter how many torches Tubbo had placed on the walls. The atmosphere was tense as the brunette waited for the message telling people to gather at the podium he had built. He was sitting on top of a chest watching Tommy pace back and forth when it finally came through their communicators. The two made brief eye contact and Tommy nodded shortly, eyes betraying his worry. Schlatt was his idol, and Tubbo knew he was secretly scared that he and Wilbur wouldn’t get enough votes to beat the ram hybrid. The duo walked side by side through the main gates to where the seats had been set up. Tommy paused when Tubbo stopped by one of the chairs, eyes flickering to the stage where Schlatt, Quackity, and Wilbur were already standing.

“Hey, big man, no matter what happens, promise that we’ll stick together? Us against the world, right?” Tommy asked quietly, a hand clapping Tubbo’s shoulder.

Tubbo offered the most confident grin he could summon, “Of course, Big T! You’d be totally lost without me, not to mention dead every five minutes.” 

Tubbo ended his sentence with a laugh and a playful shove. Tommy shoved him back, and nodded to the podium, “Well, let’s go on then, time to get on with the show.”

They ran. Wilbur and Tommy had ran faster than Tubbo had seen them run before. He could only hope Tommy had remembered to grab healing potions and invisibility potions before they left. Schlatt had immediately made him choose between getting exiled and betraying his friends, and in his panic he had gained the position of Schaltt’s right hand man. There were people everywhere, more than had ever been in L’Manberg at one time, but Tubbo felt completely alone as he stared at the walls being torn down. He desperately messaged Tommy for their coordinates, but the resulting silence left him feeling even more lost and alone.

_ “What would my head be like, if not for my shoulders or without your smile? May it follow you forever. May it never leave you to sleep in the snow. May we stay lost on our way home.” _

Wilbur had always had his brothers. As long as he could remember, it had been him and the piglin hybrid, and later Tommy, against the world. Philza had stressed from the beginning that they always had to be there for eachother, but Wilbur couldn’t help but doubt Techno’s intentions when his estranged brother suddenly showed up in Pogtopia after the exile. Tommy explained quickly that he had sent their brother a message when he noticed the distrust in Wilbur’s gaze. Techno offered his services, and Wilbur knew they were in no position to turn away the extra help.

The decision to temporarily trust the blood god paid off in the form of hundreds of potatoes and stacks of iron less than half a week after he had shown up. Wilbur could only look on in stunned astonishment as Techno rifled through his Ender Chest, pulling out a diamond pickaxe and a netherite chestplate. He stepped forward and noticed the glimmer of an enchantment on the pickaxe, “Techno, how? This much gear is practically impossible.”

“I don’t sleep, Wilbur. What else am I supposed to do?” the piglin hybrid said in the dry tone Wilbur knew to mean he was joking.

“What would Philza say about your sleep schedule?” Wilbur said with a mock scolding face, causing Techno’s straight face to crack into a small smile.

“Why are we talking about dad?” “Is that  _ netherite _ ?” Tommy’s and Tubbo’s voices overlapped as they echoed in the ravine. The older two turned to see them standing at the entry from the tunnels. Tommy had a look of confusion, glancing between the two, while Tubbo was staring at the chestplate still held loosely in Techno’s hands.

“No reason. Would you like to hold it?” Techno replied to both questions smoothly. Tommy didn’t look happy, but he dropped the topic. The chestplate was almost dropped when Techno handed it to Tubbo, the younger not expecting the sudden weight. “I can get you your own netherite, just give me a few more days to get full netherite for myself.”

“Just a few  _ days _ ? This would take me  _ weeks _ , I hate going into the Nether,” Tubbo said with awe. Wilbur shared an amused glance with Tommy, both knowing that most people would react the same when meeting Technoblade. Tubbo rattled off more questions, the piglin hybrid answering as many as he could, obviously not ready for them to be focused on his farming and mining instead of his fighting like most people.

Wilbur sat down on the crudely carved stairs, watching as Tommy grabbed two wooden swords and tossed one to Tubbo. Techno gave the two pointers as they sparred, no actual force behind the traded blows. He made eye contact with his brother over the heads of the youngest two and noticed the small smile on his face. He still wasn’t confident that his brother was being fully honest, but as the small smile was mirrored on his own face he found himself simply enjoying his presence.

_ “C’mon, c’mon, with everything falling down around me, I’d like to believe in all the possibilities.” _

Tommy knew that he wasn’t supposed to be there. He knew that he was risking everything if he was caught, but he had to check. He had to see for himself the state of the city he helped raise. His eyes fell on the flag and he felt rage pool in his gut. A message from Wilbur was open on his communicator, but he closed it to send a strongly worded message to Fundy. Tubbo had said the fox hybrid had burned the flag, but to completely replace it was too far for Tommy to accept. A hand on his shoulder almost made him scream before he caught wind of the slightly smokey smell that seemed to follow Wilbur everywhere since he burned his old uniform.

“Why are you here?” the harsh whisper felt too loud in the silence of the night. 

Tommy whipped around and met the calm brown eyes with an angry glare, “I could ask you the same thing. They burned the fucking flag, Wilbur. Your  _ son  _ burned our flag.”

Wilbur looked up at the new flag, the magma casting a harsh glow against the blackness of the obsidian. He felt a pang in his heart at the mention of the fox hybrid he had raised, but he pushed the sting of betrayal away, “C’mon, Tommy. We need to get back to Pogtopia.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Tommy tore his eyes away from where they had wandered back to the flag. He let out a deep breath. “We have to get back to work.”

_ “If I should die tonight, may I first just say I’m sorry, for I never felt like anybody. I am a man of many hats, although I never mastered anything.” _

Tubbo knew the moment Schlatt’s eyes had landed on him that something had gone wrong. The ram hybrid’s eyes were too cold, calculating in a way normally reserved for business deals. Quackity’s voice was uncertain as he grabbed the concrete and helped his president surround Tubbo. He grabbed the fence in front of him, but the suit he was wearing restricted his motion too much for him to jump it. The key phrase slipped from his mouth without him even fully noticing, but he saw Wilbur leap down from his place on top of the nearby building. Tommy’s terror was evident in his tense posture even from as far away as the stage was. 

Tubbo quickly pulled his attention back to the two men standing in front of him in time to hear Schlatt call Technoblade up to the stage. The piglin hybrid looked like he wanted to argue with the ram, but the gazes of every person present pushed him to stand with the regality his crown demanded.

“Tech-techno?” Tubbo whispered, feeling the tears of fear prick at his eyes. His hands wrapped around the fence tightly, certainly giving him splinters. The piglin hybrid avoided Tubbo’s terrified gaze as he pulled out his crossbow and loaded a rocket.

“I’m sorry, Tubbo,” he started to speak, finally meeting the boy’s eyes. The red eyes met scared blue ones and softened. Techno raised the crossbow, aiming for the boy’s head so it would kill him instantly and he hopefully wouldn’t feel any pain. “I’ll make it as painless as possible.”

A loud explosion rang through the world, mixing with screams, two more followed so fast they blended together. Three death messages made everyone’s communicators buzz. Techno had turned on Schlatt and Quackity before they had a chance to react, and his crossbow turned to face the crowd. Rockets exploded, leading to chaos as people scrambled to get out of the path of the piglin hybrid. 

_ “When I am ten feet tall, I’ve never felt much smaller. Since the fall, nobody seems to know my name. _

Tommy appeared on the podium with a flash of purple from an Ender Eye. He jumped the fence and grabbed Tubbo’s body, checking for a pulse despite seeing the death message. His scream as Tubbo’s body glitched and faded to respawn tore into the hearts of everyone present. Blue eyes landed on his Netherite-clad brother, filled with more hatred and rage than even when he glared at a smiling mask.

_ “So don’t leave me to sleep all alone, may we stay lost on our way home.” _

Bloody knuckles were wrapped gently by Niki, after she helped Tubbo drink a few strength potions. Tubbo was leaning his head against Tommy’s shoulder, both of them staring at Wilbur and Techno as the two brothers plotted the best way to blow up L’Manberg since the festival failed. Tubbo’s fingers tapped out a steady rhythm on Tommy’s leg. Tommy vaguely recognized it as the finger placements he learned to play the Able Sister’s theme on the piano. Niki’s hand rested on Wilbur’s shoulder momentarily, but she backed up at the sight of his eyes. She sat next to the two youngest, eyes meeting with them and sharing a silent agreement.

No one else was going to die.

_ “Try not to mistake what you have with what you hate. It could leave, it could leave come the morning. Celebrate the night, it’s the fall before the climb. Shall we sing, shall we sing ‘til the morning?” _

The green hoodie was not a welcome sight. Pogtopia was filled with people, all people who were ready to kill Schlatt. Quackity’s eyes, still red from the tears after his fight, were wide with panic, Fundy’s hands were shaking by his sides, and even Bad looked nervous as he looked at the smiling white mask. Dream was lounging on one of the crosswalks, a netherite axe strapped to his back, and looking to all the world like he had no fears.

“Tommy, I was never on your side. Why would I be on your side?” a cruel laugh emphasized the point. Tommy’s mouth opened and closed, trying to come up with something to say. “I’m on the side of chaos, or whoever gives me the best deal, and Schlatt gave me something you never could.”

Wilbur’s crazed laughter made everyone except Techno and Dream flinch. He was practically doubled over, eye’s bright with insanity, “Oh this is wonderful! This is perfect, absolutely perfect.”

Dream stood up and leapt down from the crosswalk, the enchantment on his boots flaring up to soften his landing. He straightened up, mask locking eyes with Tommy. A variety of weapons were pointed at him when he went to step closer, and his hands lifted up in a mock surrender. An ender pearl appeared in his hands as he turned to leave, “Don’t get too comfortable, Tommy. You have a traitor in your midst.”

With those words, he vanished in a flash of purple light, leaving the ravine silent besides Wilbur’s quiet giggles. Eyes were filled with suspicion as everyone looked at the people nearby, trying to figure out who it might be. Tommy took a deep breath and grabbed Tubbo’s hand, pulling him out of the ravine to the tower. The two spoke in hushed tones, only leaving when Niki called them down to get food.

_ “If I fall forward, you fall flat, and if the sun should lift me up, would you come back? . . .c’mon, c’mon with everything falling down around me, I’d like to believe in all the possibilities.” _

He was dead. Schlatt was dead, there was no traitor, and they finally had L’Manberg back after so long. Dream seemed too calm, but Tubbo brushed it off as paranoia. Tommy grabbed him in a hug, cheering so loud Tubbo felt like his ears were going to start ringing. He looked around at his friends, everyone shedding the heavy armour and smiling at eachother.

Sapnap and Punz were sitting next to Dream, armour still on. Tubbo frowned at the sight, thinking the warriors would want to be comfortable. Karl was avoiding Sapnap’s gaze, standing next to Quackity as the two of them helped tear down the decorations of Schlatt’s reign.

“Dream, you lost again? How does it feel?” Tommy taunted, standing tall a few feet away from where the man was lounging.

The cracked smiling mask turned to Tommy, and Tubbo felt a nervous twinge at the smirk he could see through the cracks. He stood up, slinging his axe over his back again, “Oh, Tommy, did you forget about the traitor?”

“You said you were bluffing, there is no traitor,” Tommy replied in a defensive tone, hand resting on his netherite sword.

Dream laughed, Sapnap and Punz sharing a knowing smirk behind him. The green hoodie flashed under the netherite armour as he swung his arms around in a wide gesture, “Wilbur was the traitor. Where’s Wilbur, Tommy? Why isn’t he celebrating with you?”

Blue eyes scanned the area, widening when he realized his brother was nowhere to be seen. Techo let out a wild laugh, and Tubbo felt searing pain before he opened his eyes at his respawn point.

_ “C’mon, c’mon with everything falling down around me, I’d like to believe in all the possibilities.” _

The explosion rocked the entire server, screams of pain and panic adding to the cacophonic symphony. Death messages made communicators buzz almost nonstop. Dream and Techno fought side by side to push people back, an unstoppable duo of death. Tommy stared at his older brother across the chasm that had opened in the earth, terror rising in his throat with every hate filled word spat in his direction. Dream was lounging on a pile of debris, Sapnap and Punz nearby as always. Tommy screamed when Techno placed the last two skulls, the entire world going dark as the Wither’s appeared.

The reaction was immediate. People scrambled for armour that had been discarded, weapons and shields being held at the ready as they united to kill the two creatures that would destroy everything. The chaos was only made worse as a scream was heard from where Wilbur had been standing with Philza. Dream and Techno once again joined forces, killing people along with the Withers. By the time the two withers were finally dead, everyone except Dream and Techno, and the people on their side, had died at least once. 

Philza carried Wilbur’s body down from the place the button had been, the man not respawning for an unknown reason. Tubbo had tear stained cheeks as he looked around at his friends, Techno and Dream watching them from the top of one of the only buildings that had survived. George had joined Sapnap and Punz, and the three were talking about something, probably the new crown that rested above the clout goggles. Tommy was covered in bruises as he flung himself into Philza’s arms, desperate for a hug from the man who had raised him.

Dream stared at the destruction of what used to be L’Manberg, a small smile under his mask. He felt two people walk up and stand on either side of him, not bothering to check and confirm what he knew.

“What now?” Sapnap asked quietly, fingers fiddling with a flint and steel.

“Hey, George, didn’t you say you were building a house?”

_ “It’s getting late, and I cannot seem to find my way home tonight. . .” _

**Author's Note:**

> This got to be wayyyy longer than I expected, oops. If anyone knows of an animatic about the SMP to this song, PLEASE comment the name because I feel like it would be perfect.  
> Comments and kudos are appreciated (criticism is welcome)  
> Thank you for reading :D


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